Numbers 24:19

Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion,.... Meaning either David, or rather the Messiah; and so Jarchi interprets this of another ruler out of Jacob, even of the Messiah, of whom it is

Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city. Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion , [ wªyeerd (H7287)].

Out of Jacob; out of Jacob’ s loins. He that shall have dominion; David, and especially Christ. Of the city, or, from or out of this city, i.e. the cities, the singular number for the plural, which hath been oft noted before. The sense is, He shall not only subdue those Moabites and Edomites which meet him in the field, but he shall pursue them even to their strongest holds and cities, and shall pull them out thence. Possibly he may note some eminent city in which they confided most, their metropolis or royal city, as may be guessed from .

Numbers 24:19 Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.Ver. 19. And shall destroy him.] David in the history, Christ in the mystery, even all the antichristian rout and rabble.

(19) He that shall have dominion.—The reference is explained in Psalms 72:8, “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth,” where the same verb occurs which is in both places rendered in the Authorised Version “shall have dominion.” And shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.—Or, and He shall destroy the remnant from the cities. The city, which is in the singular number here as in Psalms 72:16, may be used collectively to denote cities generally, though some have understood the reference to be to the city of Jerusalem. But the reference seems to be rather to the chief city, or the cities generally, of Edom. (Comp. Obad., Numbers 24:18, where the same word occurs which is here rendered “him that remaineth,” and which is there rendered “any remaining.”)

Verse 19. Out of Jacob shall come, c.] This is supposed to refer to Christ, because of what is said Genesis 49:10. It is exceedingly difficult to fix the true sense of this prophecy in all its particulars. Probably the star, Numbers 24:17, is only an emblem of kingly power. Among the Egyptians a star is said to have been the symbol of the Divine Being. The sceptre refers to the kingly power in exercise. The corners or outskirts may mean the petty Moabitish governments, as the Chaldee has understood the term. If karkar, which we translate utterly destroy, be not the name of a place here, as it is in Judges 8:10, (which is not very likely), it may be taken in one of those senses assigned to it, (See Clarke on Numbers 24:17,) and signify the blending together the children of Sheth, that is, all the inhabitants of the earth for so the children of Sheth must necessarily be understood, unless we consider it here as meaning some king of the Moabites, according to Grotius, or a city on the borders of Moab, according to Rabbi Nathan. As neither Israel nor the Messiah ever destroyed all the children of men, we must (in order to leave the children of Sheth what they are generally understood to be, all the inhabitants of the world) understand the whole as a prophecy of the final universal sway of the sceptre of Christ, when the middle wall of partition shall be broken down, and the Jews and Gentiles become one united, blended fold, under one shepherd and bishop of their souls. I cannot think that the meteoric star which guided the wise men of the east to Bethlehem can be intended here; nor do I think that Peter refers to this prophecy when he calls Christ the day star, 2 Peter 1:19; nor that Revelation 2:28, where Christ is called the morning star, nor Revelation 22:16, where he is called the bright and morning star, refers at all to this prophecy of Balaam. Nor do I think that the false Christ who rose in the time of Adrian, and who called himself Barcochab, which literally signifies the son of a star, did refer to this prophecy. If he had, he must have defeated his own intention, because the SON of the star is not THE STAR that should arise, but at the utmost a descendant; and then, to vindicate his right to the Jewish throne, he must show that the person who was called the star, and of whom he pretended to be the son or descendant, had actually reigned before him. As the sun, moon, stars, planets, light, splendours, effulgence, day, c., were always considered among the Asiatics as emblems of royalty, government, c., therefore many, both men and women, had these names given to them as titles, surnames, &c. So the queen of Alexander the Great, called Roxana by the Greeks, was a Persian princess, and in her native tongue her name was [Persian] Roushen, splendour.

19. An obscure verse, which is perhaps a later addition to the song. It appears to look forward to a Messianic prospect of universal dominion. Some think that Numbers 24:18-19 are both entirely corrupt beyond restoration. shall one have dominion] This and the following verb are impersonal. ‘And dominion will be exercised out of Jacob, and the remnant (of Israel’s enemies) will be destroyed out of the city.’ If the text is right, ‘out of the city’ is parallel with ‘out of Jacob.’ It is therefore the city of the conquerors, i.e. Zion.

Destroy him that remaineth of the city - i. e., shall destroy those of every city that had previously escaped.

19. He that shall have dominion — The same ruler as is symbolized by the Star and Sceptre. Numbers 24:17, note. Him that remaineth — Thus producing the utter destruction of the people.